<< an artificial network of nanowires can be tuned to respond in a brain-like way when electrically stimulated. >>️
<< If the signal stimulating the network was too low, then the pathways were too predictable and orderly and did not produce complex enough outputs to be useful. If the electrical signal overwhelmed the network, the output was completely chaotic and useless for problem solving. The optimal signal for producing a useful output was at the edge of this chaotic state. >>️
<< Some theories in neuroscience suggest the human mind could operate at this edge of chaos, or what is called the critical state, (..) Some neuroscientists think it is in this state where we achieve maximal brain performance. (..) What's so exciting about this result is that it suggests that these types of nanowire networks can be tuned into regimes with diverse, brain-like collective dynamics, which can be leveraged to optimize information processing. >> Zdenka Kuncic.️
<< In the nanowire network the junctions between the wires allow the system to incorporate memory and operations into a single system. This is unlike standard computers, which separate memory (RAM) and operations (CPUs). >>
<< These junctions act like computer transistors but with the additional property of remembering that signals have traveled that pathway before. As such, they are called 'memristors', >> Joel Hochstetter.
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'Edge of chaos' opens pathway to artificial intelligence discoveries. University of Sydney. Jun 29, 2021.
Joel Hochstetter, Ruomin Zhu, et al. Avalanches and edge-of-chaos learning in neuromorphic nanowire networks. Nat Commun 12, 4008. doi: 10.1038/ s41467-021-24260-z. Jun 29, 2021.